nimrod

I have a Gibson SG and it too has the neck dive problem.It affected Pete Townshend as well

Yes the SG is well known for neck dive problems, I had an SG bass once (it was famously used by Jack Bruce in Cream) and it was terrible, Leo Fender made very balanced guitars and basses so Ive never had a problem with a Fender.Its not a massive problem on the Hofner Violin bass as its so light (hollow bodied) mine has a strap button where the neck joins the body and I find by using a fender webbing type strap it doesnt slide on my shoulder and sort of grips my shirt preventing the dive, this wouldnt work on a heavier guitar like an SG though.

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I think Hofner should make him honorary chairman or something - where would they be without him?!

Ive thought this loads of times Peter, check ebay there are loads for sale (new ones) so its still a big seller, its funny theyve never made a signature model like Fender do with strats (Clapton, SRV, Jeff Beck, etc ) but then again its like every violin bass is a McCartney signature as no-one else uses it.If you can ever get him to sign it on the picguard Barry it would be worth about $10,000

I know many musicians are associated with one particular instrument, or at least one brand of instrument, but I doubt any musician is so closely identified with an instrument than Sir Paul and the Hofner bass. This is a man who has had a music career spanning more than half a century, and the violin bass was only used for a relatively short period of that (until it was resurrected for touring from the 90s onwards), yet it is still the first instrument that comes to mind when you think of him, and he is the first (and probably only) musician that comes to mind when you think of the Hofner violin bass. I think Hofner should make him honorary chairman or something - where would they be without him?!